Basketball and Quidditch
by Suki-Alanna
Summary: James Potter has the perfect plan to get Lily Evans to go to Hogsmeade with him. If only she wasn't so difficult... co-written with with owluver.


**AN: Written with owluver for Women's Beach Volleyball in the 2012 Hogwarts Olympic Games. We had to write a story on hate. **

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all other characters and settings used in this belong to J.K. Rowling and not the author(s).**

James Potter was an egotistical jerk face. He didn't know anything about anyone. Or that was what Lily Evans often said. She was the president and only member of the James Potter hate club, which didn't actually exist, as McGonagall stuck to her beliefs on the fact that hate clubs, especially those against students, were unnecessary and offensive. Lily argued that fan clubs, especially the James Potter one, shouldn't exist either, if that was her reasoning.

James knew all of that, yet for some reason he still had a crush on Lily. It was a large crush. In fact, late at night when his fellow Gryffindors were asleep, when he was half awake and half asleep, his thoughts would be of Lily, and it was those times he fancied himself in love.

As Valentine's Day and the Hogsmeade trip were fast approaching, James, with the help of the other Marauders, had devised a plan. The Great Hall was a huge invitation for Lily, and Remus, one of James's friends, was cursing any Slytherins he saw so all they could say was, "Lily, will you go out with James?"

Sirius and James were in one of the many secret passageways in Hogwarts. Sirius was watching Lily's dot to see where she went so James could intercept her in order to walk her to the Great Hall (Remus, for his part, had argued that if James was anywhere close to Lily she would likely cause him bodily harm, but he was overruled by Sirius, who wanted to see the fallout, James, who had unrealistic views of Lily, and Peter, who mostly wanted to piss off as few of his mates as possible.

"She's with Snape," Sirius remarked.

James actually stopped attempting to get his hair to behave to look over at his best mate. "What?"

"She's near the library with Snivellus. If you hurry you can—"

"Cut them off near the old Charms classroom!" James's mood was much improved with that idea. "I'll meet you near the Great Hall."

James reached the Charms classroom in good spirits. Lily and Snape passed right by, deep in conversation.

"I just don't understand it," Lily said.

"It's just a stupid sport," Snape replied. "It doesn't matter that much."

Just a stupid sport... James's interest was piqued. What was just a simple sport? Was it a Muggle thing? Toad racing? He'd grown out of that in second year. He thought Lily had noticed. Obviously not.

"There are all those balls, and all those people..." Lily trailed off. James still didn't know what she was talking about.

"I understand," Snape said. That slime ball. He was not allowed to understand what Lily Evans was talking about more than James did. It just... didn't happen, but it had, and James was pissed.

"Quidditch is the most useless sport ever. Give me basketball any day. At least you don't have to get on a broom." She shuddered delicately, but James didn't even notice. Quidditch. Lily Evans, his soon to be girlfriend, hated Quidditch. How was that even possible? Even Snape didn't hate Quidditch. James knew because he had hexed him when he attended matches. He had, of course, noticed that Lily never went to the games, but he had just assumed that she was doing something else. He hadn't assumed something this bad. He was tempted to march over to her and describe how good Quidditch was and make her understand.

"It would mess with the plan," James recited to himself, ignoring the odd look he got from a Hufflepuff girl he vaguely remembered as being in his History of Magic class.

Peter appeared in front of Snape and Lily, hopefully using the excuse they had given him. He was a crummy liar, but Snivellus would believe anything. James sauntered up to Lily. "Hey, Doll."

Lily gave James a look of pure hate, "I am _not _your _doll_."

"Not yet anyway," James said with a wink. Lily threw on her disgusted face, that James was sure she reserved just for him.

"I will never be your _doll_ James," she said and then turned to his fellow Marauder, "Now Peter, what was it you needed help with?"

"Trans-Charms. Charms," Peter said.

"Charms?" Lily said, her eyes brightening. Everyone knew that Lily absolutely adored Charms, it was her favorite subject, "C'mon then. I'll help you with Charms." She grabbed Peter and took him off to the library, leaving James alone with Snape.

"S'later Snivellus," he said to Snape. He would get him later for talking to Lily. First, he needed a plan.

"She's never going to want to go out with you, you know," Snape said with a smirk.

"What?" James asked, distracted. Snape laughed.

"She's _never _going to go out with you. She hates you almost as much as I do," Snape replied, "You're fooling yourself if you think otherwise."

"She will," James said.

"You're delusional," Snape said, "And arrogant and she _hates _you. You've got no chance."

"Don't talk to me like that," James snapped.

"Like what?" Snape taunted, "Don't tell you the truth James? Because that's what it is. The truth. Now all you have to do is face it." And with that, he started to walk away.

"_Flipendo!" _James yelled, causing Snape to fall over on the ground.

"You little…" Snape started to say, but James stopped him.

"_Scuorgify!" _He yelled. Other kids started to look on, laughing not at him, but at Snape sitting on the ground spewing soap everywhere. James looked proudly, trying to hold back laughter as well. Lily rushed out of the library. When she saw the scene on the ground her eyes went wide. She was about to interfere when McGonagall came out of nowhere.

"You!" she said pointing at James, "Again?"

"Hello," James said calmly.

"My office," McGonagall said briskly. James started to walk there, "Now!" James went faster.

"Sev!" Lily screamed and rushed forward to help him, "Are you okay?"

"Miss Evans, could you please escort Mr. Snape to the Hospital Wing please?" McGonagall asked, and Lily nodded, "I've got Mr. Potter to attend to." McGonagall walked away. Lily knelt down besides Snape.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"I really hate that James Potter," she said, "What a jerk."


End file.
